Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A.
Type Industry Predecessor(s) Founded Founder(s) Societ per azioni Automotive Societ Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID) 24 June 1910 in Milan, Italy Alexandre Darracq/Ugo Stella Nicola Romeo Turin, Italy Worldwide John Elkann (President) Harald J Wester (CEO) Automobiles
Products
Production output 101,000 units (2012)[citation needed] Owner(s) Parent Website Fiat S.p.A. Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. AlfaRomeo.com [1]
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. (Italian pronunciation:[alfa romo]) is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili) on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars. It was owned by Italian state holding company Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale between 1932 and 1986, when it became a part of the Fiat Group, and since February 2007 a part of Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. The company that became Alfa Romeo was founded as Societ Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID) in 1906 by the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq, with some Italian investors. In late 1909, the Italian Darracq cars were selling slowly and a new company was founded named A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, English: Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company), initially still in partnership with Darracq. The first non-Darracq car produced by the company was the 1910 24 HP, designed by Giuseppe Merosi. A.L.F.A. ventured into motor racing, with drivers Franchini and Ronzoni competing in the 1911 Targa Florio with two 24 HP models. In August 1915 the company came under the direction of Neapolitan entrepreneur Nicola Romeo, who converted the factory to produce military hardware for the Italian and Allied war efforts. In 1920, the name of the company was changed to Alfa Romeo with the Torpedo 20-30 HP the first car to be so badged. In 1928 Nicola Romeo left, with Alfa Romeo going broke after defense contracts ended, and at the end of 1932 it was rescued by Benito Mussolini's government, which then had effective control. The company struggled to return to profitability after the Second World War, and turned to mass-producing small vehicles rather than hand-building luxury models. In 1954 it developed the Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine, which would remain in production until 1998.[citation needed] During the 1960s and 1970s Alfa Romeo produced a number of sporty cars, though the Italian government parent company, Finmeccanica, struggled to make a profit so it sold the marque to the Fiat Group in 1986. Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in many different categories of motorsport, including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing and rallies. It has competed both as a constructor and an
Alfa Romeo engine supplier, via works entries (usually under the name Alfa Corse or Autodelta) and private entries. The first racing car was made in 1913, three years after the foundation of the company, and Alfa Romeo won the inaugural world championship for Grand Prix cars in 1925. The company gained a good name in motorsport, which gave a sporty image to the whole marque. Enzo Ferrari founded the Scuderia Ferrari racing team in 1929 as an Alfa Romeo racing team, before becoming independent in 1939.
History
Foundation and early years
The company that became Alfa Romeo was founded as Societ Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID) in 1906 by the French automobile firm of Alexandre Darracq, with some Italian investors. One of them, Cavaliere Ugo Stella, an aristocrat from Milan, became chairman of the SAID in 1909. The firm's initial location was in Naples, but even before the construction of the planned factory had started, Darracq decided late in 1906 that Milan would be more suitable and accordingly a tract of land was acquired in the Milan suburb of Portello, where a new factory of 6,700 square metres (8,000sqyd) was erected. Late 1909, the Italian Darracq cars were selling slowly and Stella, with the other Italian co-investors, founded a new company named A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili), initially still in partnership with Darracq. The first non-Darracq car produced by the company was the 1910 24 HP, designed by Giuseppe Merosi, hired in 1909 for designing new cars more suited to the Italian market. Merosi would go on to design a series of new A.L.F.A. cars, with more powerful engines (40-60 HP). A.L.F.A. ventured into motor racing, with drivers Franchini and Ronzoni competing in the 1911 Targa Florio with two 24 HP models. In 1914, an advanced Grand Prix car was designed and built, the GP1914, with a four-cylinder engine, double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and twin ignition.[2] However, the onset of the First World War halted automobile production at A.L.F.A. for three years.
In August 1915 the company came under the direction of Neapolitan body) was the first car made by Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili in 1910. entrepreneur Nicola Romeo, who converted the factory to produce military hardware for the Italian and Allied war efforts. Munitions, aircraft engines and other components, compressors and generators based on the company's existing car engines were produced in a vastly enlarged factory during the war. After the war, Romeo invested his war profits in acquiring locomotive and railway carriage plants in Saronno (Costruzioni Meccaniche di Saronno), Rome (Officine Meccaniche di Roma) and Naples (Officine Ferroviarie Meridionali), which were added to his A.L.F.A. ownership.
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo production between 1934 and 1939 Industrial vehicles 0 211 671 851 729 562
Year Cars 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 699 91 20 270 542 372
Car production had not been considered at first, but resumed in 1919 since parts for the completion of 105 cars had remained at the A.L.F.A. factory since 1915. In 1920, the name of the company was changed to Alfa Romeo with the Torpedo 20-30 HP the first car to be so badged. Their first success came in 1920 when Giuseppe Campari won at Mugello and continued with second place in the Targa Florio driven by Enzo Ferrari. Giuseppe Merosi continued as head designer, and the company continued to produce solid road cars as well as successful race cars (including the 40-60 HP and the RL Targa Florio). In 1923 Vittorio Jano was lured from Fiat, partly thanks to the persuasion of a young Alfa racing driver named Enzo Ferrari, to replace Merosi as chief designer at Alfa Romeo. The first Alfa Romeo under Jano was the P2 Grand Prix car, which won Alfa Romeo the inaugural world championship for Grand Prix cars in 1925. For road cars Jano developed a series of small-to-medium-displacement 4-, 6-, and 8-cylinder inline engines based on the P2 unit that established the architecture of the company's engines, with light alloy construction, hemispherical combustion chambers, centrally located plugs, two rows of overhead valves per cylinder bank and dual overhead cams. Jano's designs proved both reliable and powerful. Enzo Ferrari proved a better team manager than driver, and when the factory team was privatised, it became Scuderia Ferrari. When Ferrari left Alfa Romeo, he went on to build his own cars. Tazio Nuvolari often drove for Alfa, winning many races before the Second World War. In 1928 Nicola Romeo left, with Alfa going broke after defense contracts ended, and at the end of 1932 Alfa Romeo was rescued by the government, which then had effective control. Alfa Romeo became an instrument of Mussolini's Italy, a national emblem. During this period it built bespoke vehicles for the wealthy, with bodies normally by Touring of Milan or Pinin Farina. This era peaked with the Alfa Romeo 2900B Type 35 racers. The Alfa factory (converted during wartime to the production of Macchi C.202 Folgore engines: the Daimler-Benz 600 series built under license) was bombed during the Second World War, and struggled to return to profitability after the war. The luxury vehicles were out. Smaller, mass-produced vehicles began to be produced beginning with the 1954 model year, with the introduction of the Giulietta series of berline (saloons/sedans), coupes and open two-seaters. All three varieties shared what would become the Alfa Romeo overhead Twin Cam four-cylinder engine, initially 1300 cc. This engine would eventually be enlarged to 2000 cc and would remain in production until 1995.
8C 2900B Touring Spider (1937)
Alfa Romeo
Post war
Once motor sports resumed after the Second World War, Alfa Romeo proved to be the car to beat in Grand Prix events. The introduction of the new formula (Formula One) for single-seat racing cars provided an ideal setting for Alfa Romeo's Tipo 158 Alfetta, adapted from a pre-war voiturette, and Giuseppe Farina won the first Formula One World Championship in 1950 in the 158. Juan Manuel Fangio secured Alfa's second consecutive championship in 1951.
Alfa Romeo production between 1998 and 2012 Year 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Cars 197,680 208,336 206,836 213,638 187,437 182,469 162,179 130,815 157,794 151,898 103,097 103,687 119,451 130,535
2012 101,000[3]
In 1952, Alfa Romeo experimented with its first front-wheel drive compact car, "Project 13-61". It had the same transverse-mounted, forward-motor layout as the modern front-wheel drive automobile. Alfa Romeo made a second attempt toward the late 1950s based on Project 13-61. It was to be called Tipo 103 and resembled the smaller version of its popular Alfa Romeo Giulia. However, due to the financial difficulties in post-war Italy, the Tipo 103 never saw production. Had Alfa Romeo produced it, it would have preceded the Mini as the first "modern" front-wheel drive compact car. In the mid-fifties, Alfa Romeo entered into an agreement with Brazil's Matarazzo Group to create a company called Fabral (Fbrica Brasileira de Automveis Alfa, "the Brazilian Alfa automobile factory") to build the Alfa Romeo 2000 there. After having received government approval, Matarazzo pulled out and under pressure from Brazil's President Juscelino Kubitschek the state-owned FNM company instead commenced building the car as the "FNM 2000" there in 1960. During the 1960s, Alfa Romeo concentrated on competition using production-based cars, including the GTA (standing for Gran Turismo Allegerita), an aluminium-bodied version of the Bertone-designed coupe with a powerful twin-plug engine. Among other victories, the GTA won the inaugural Sports Car Club of America's Trans-Am championship in 1966. In the 1970s, Alfa Romeo concentrated on prototype sports car racing with the Tipo 33, with early victories in 1971. Eventually the Tipo 33TT12 gained the World Championship for Makes for Alfa Romeo in 1975 and the Tipo 33SC12 won the World Championship for Sports Cars in 1977.
Alfa Romeo By the 1970s, Alfa Romeo was again in financial trouble and creative measures were attempted to shore it up, including an ultimately unsuccessful joint venture with Nissan endorsed by Ettore Massacesi of Alfa Romeo's parent company, the Italian-government owned Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI) and Prime Minister Francesco Cossiga. By 1986, IRI was suffering heavy losses, and IRI president Romano Prodi put Alfa Romeo up for sale. Finmeccanica, the mechanical holdings arm of IRI and its predecessors owned Alfa Romeo since 1932. Prodi first approached fellow Italian manufacturer Fiat, which offered to start a joint venture with Alfa. Prodi was initially unsupportive, citing the strained industrial relations between Northern and Southern Italy, with Fiat being based in Turin and Alfa being based in Milan.Wikipedia:Disputed statement Fiat withdrew its plan for a joint venture when Ford put in an offer to acquire part of Alfa Romeo and restructure the company, while increasing its stake over time. However, Fiat put in a bid to acquire the entirety of Alfa Romeo and offer job guarantees to Italian workers, an offer that Ford was unwilling to match. It also did not hurt any of the parties involved that an acquisition by Fiat would keep Alfa Romeo in Italian hands. In 1986, the deal was concluded with Alfa Romeo merged with traditional rival Lancia into Fiat's Alfa Lancia Industriale S.p.A. Models produced from the 1990s combined Alfa's traditional virtues of avant-garde styling and sporting panache with the economic benefits of product rationalisation, and include a "GTA" version of the 147 hatchback, the Giugiaro-designed Brera, and a high-performance exotic called the 8C Competizione (named after one of Alfa's most successful prewar sports and racing cars, the 8C of the 1930s). In 2005 Maserati was bought back from Ferrari and under Fiat's full control. The Fiat Group plans to create a sports and luxury division from Maserati and Alfa Romeo. There is a planned strategic relationship between these two; engines, platforms and possibly dealers will be shared in some markets. In the beginning of 2007, Fiat Auto S.p.A. was reorganized and four new automobile companies were created; Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A., Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. and Fiat Light Commercial Vehicles S.p.A. These companies are fully owned by Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A.
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo 155 Alfa Romeo 156 Alfa Romeo 166 (Official Vehicles) Alfa Romeo 159. Since 1960s, the Italian Prime Minister has used Alfa Romeos (and lately the new Maserati Quattroporte) as preferred government limousines. The 164 and 166 have found particular employment in the last two decades.
Recent developments
Alfa Romeo has been suffering from falling sales. Some analysts concluded that the automaker suffered large operating losses in the mid-2000s - estimated to be about 15 percent to 20 percent of annual revenues, or about 300 million to 500 million euros a year. For the year of 2010, it sold a total of about 112,000 units which was significantly lower than Fiat CEO Marchionne's global sales target of 300,000. Alfa then wanted to achieve 170,000 sales in 2011, including 100,000 Giulietta and 60,000 MiTo, but it actually sold 130,000 units that year. Its medium-term target remains 500,000 units by 2014 including 85,000 from N. American market.
Giulietta Spider
Alfa Romeo's return to United States was confirmed on 5 May 2006 by Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne. It resumed sales in the United States with the 8C Competizione in October 2008. In 2008, Alfa Romeo and Chrysler were reported to be in discussions, with Alfa Romeo possibly using Chrysler manufacturing plants that have been shut down due to unneeded product. A new Alfa Romeo Spider will also be based on the Mazda Miata platform The underpinnings of the carbuilt at Mazda's Hiroshima, Japan, plantwill share the rear-wheel drive technology that Mazda is planning for the next generation of the MX-5 model (often known as the Miata), but the automakers will style different bodies for each brand. The cars will look different from the outside and will also receive different engines. The automaker will reintroduce itself to Americans in the second half of 2013 with the Alfa 4C, another two-seater sports car. The Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. and Mazda Motor Corporation agreement about Spider/MX-5 should be finalized later in 2012, and production of the Spider could begin in 2015. The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 4, 2009, that Chrysler would announce that it is dropping several models of Dodge and Jeep while phasing in Alfa Romeo and Fiat 500 models. The Alfa Romeo 4C was announced to be the first mass-produced car to re-enter the US market in 2013. In 2012 this re-entry was again delayed, this time to early 2014.
Alfa Romeo
Body design
Many famous automotive design houses in Italy have accepted commissions to produce concepts and production vehicle shapes for Alfa Romeo. These include: Bertone Giorgetto Giugiaro / Italdesign Pininfarina Zagato Centro Stile Alfa Romeo
The last mentioned, the Centro Stile, has rapidly gained international credibilityWikipedia:Vagueness with its work. The 8C Competizione super-coup, and the MiTo hatchback are the results. Construction techniques used by Alfa Romeo have become imitated by other car makers, and in this way Alfa Romeo body design has often been very influential. The following is a list of innovations, and where appropriate, examples of imitation by other car manufacturers: 1950s: Monocoque body design in the Giulia:Wikipedia:Disputed statement While not an imitation per se, this construction technique became extremely widespread, and remains so to the present day. 1960s: Aerodynamics: The 116-series Giulia had a very low Cd. Toyota in particular sought to produce a similarly shaped series of vehicles at this time. 1970s: Fairing of bumpers: In order to meet American crash standards, Alfa formulated design styling techniques to incorporate bumpers into the overall bodywork design of vehicles so as to not ruin their lines. The culmination of this design technique was the 1980s Alfa Romeo 75. The process was widely copied, particularly in Germany and Japan. 1980s: The Alfa 164: The design process and influence of this car is almost completely out of all proportion to previous Alfas. The 164 introduced complete CAD/CAM in the manufacturing cycle, with very little directly made by hand in the vehicle. In addition, the 164's styling influence continues into the present day line of modern Alfas. Most manufacturers incorporated design ideas first expressed in the 164 into their own designs, including greater reliance on on-board computers.[citation needed]
Alfa Romeo 1990s: The pseudo-coup: The Alfa 156 and 147, while four-door vehicles, represented themselves as two-doors with prominent front door handles, and less visible rear door-handle flaps. Honda has used this design style in the latest Civic hatchback, and a somewhat similar idea is also seen in the most recent Mazda RX-8 four-seat coup. 2000s: The Brera and 159: These vehicles' design, by Giorgetto Giugiaro, have proven influential in sedan and coup styling, demonstrating that concept vehicles are often immediately translatable into road car form, providing that initial design takes place using CAD systems. Alfa Romeo models have also inspired some very interesting and often beautiful concept cars. Here follows a short list of concept cars, and their impact on car design: 1950s - The B.A.T. cars The Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica prototype cars were designed by Bertone as an exercise in determining whether streamlining and wind-tunnel driven designs would result in high performance on a standard chassis, and whether the resulting vehicles would be palatable to public. Alfa 1900 Sprint were the basis of the B.A.T. 5, 7 and 9. The later B.A.T. 11 was based on the 8C Competizione. 1960s and 1970s - Descendants of the Tipo 33 The Tipo 33 racing car, with its high-revving 2000 cc V8 engine became the basis for a number of different concept cars during 1960s and 1970s, two of which ultimately resulted in production vehicles. Most made their appearances at the Auto Salon Genve. Here is a brief list: Gandini/Bertone Carabo (1968) - Marcello Gandini expressed ideas that would come to fruition in the Lamborghini Countach. Tipo 33.2 (1969)- Designed by Pininfarina, this car ultimately resulted in the 33 Stradale road car Gandini/Bertone Montreal Concept (1967) - making its appearance at the 1967 Montreal Expo, this Giulia-based concept resulted in the production Alfa Romeo Montreal road car with a variant of the Tipo 33 V8 engine. Bertone/Giugiaro Navajo (1976)- A fully fibreglassed vehicle, and in some ways the epitome of Giugiaro's 'Origami' style of flat planes. 1980s-today - Modern ideas In general, concept cars for Alfa Romeo have generally become production vehicles, after some modification to make them suitable for manufacture, and to provide driver and passenger safety. The Zagato SZ, GTV and Spider (descended from the Proteo), Brera and 159 are all good examples of Alfa Romeo's stylistic commitment in this direction. The future Alfa Romeo concept cars have mostly emphasized performance in combination with historical tradition. The Nuvola Concept, and the independently designed Diva Concept cars have demonstrated that this ethos is the centre of Alfa conceptualisation. The Centro Stile website also gives designers very good direction in terms of the combination of line and form Alfa prefers to see in the design process of its cars' bodywork.[citation needed]
The badge
Alfa's badge incorporates emblems from fifth century Italy. It was designed in 1910 by an Italian draughtsman, Romano Cattaneo, who used two heraldic devices traditionally associated with Milan: on the right is the Biscione, the emblem of the House of Visconti, rulers of Milan in the 14th century; on the left is a red cross on a white field, the emblem of Milan, which Cattaneo had seen on the door of the Castello Sforzesco. In 1918, after the company was bought by Nicola Romeo, the badge was redesigned with the help of Giuseppe Merosi. A dark blue metallic ring was added, inscribed "ALFA ROMEO" and "MILANO" separated by two Savoy dynasty knots to honour the Kingdom of Italy. After the victory of the P2 in the inaugural Automobile World Championship in 1925, Alfa added a laurel wreath around the badge. In 1946, after the abolition of the monarchy, the Savoy knots were replaced with two curvy lines. The name "MILANO", the hyphen, and the lines were eliminated when Alfa Romeo opened its
Alfa Romeo factory at Pomigliano d'Arco, Naples in the early 1970s. The serpent and man appear to be Jonah and the serpent, images often found in liturgical art as far back as the third century.
Motorsport
Alfa Romeo has been involved with motor racing since 1911, when it entered two 24 HP models on Targa Florio competition. In the 1920s and 30s it scored wins at many races and motoring events such as Targa Florio, Mille Miglia and Le Mans. Great success continued with Formula One, Prototypes, Touring and Fast Touring. Private drivers also entered some rally competitions, with fine results. Alfa Romeo has competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, via works entries Alfa Corse, Autodelta and private entries. Alfa Romeo's factory racing team was outsourced to Enzo Ferrari's Scuderia Ferrari between 1933 and 1938. Drivers included Tazio Nuvolari, who won the 1935 German Grand Prix at the Nrburgring.
Quadrifoglio
The quadrifoglio emblem (also called the 'cloverleaf') has been the symbol of Alfa Romeo racing cars since 1923. Following WWII, it has also been used to designate the higher trim models of the range (comparable to BMW M Performance or Volkswagen GTI models). The quadrifoglio is usually placed on the side panels of the car, above or behind the front wheels. The symbol consists of a green or gold cloverleaf with four leaves, contained with a white triangle.
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Production
Until the 1980s, Alfa Romeos, except for the Alfasud, were rear-wheel-drive. According to the current Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, in order to reap economies of scale, all new Alfa Romeo models will be made from the same basic platform (i.e., frame). Even Maserati will share components with some Alfas.[4] The trim levels (option packages) offered today on the various nameplates (model lines) include the lusso ("luxury"), turismo ("touring"), and the GTA (gran tourismo alleggerita) ("light-weight grand tourer"). The GTA package is offered in the 147 and 156 and includes a V-6 engine. In the past, Alfa Romeo offered a Sprint trim level. During the 1990s, Alfa Romeo moved car production to other districts in Italy. The Pomigliano dArco plant produced the 155, followed by the 145 and the 146, while the Arese plant manufactured the 164 and new Spider and GTV. The 156 was launched in 1997, and became quite successful for Alfa Romeo; in 1998 it was voted Car of the Year. The same year a new flagship, the 166 (assembled in Rivalta, near Turin) was launched. At the beginning of the third millennium, the 147 was released, which won the prestigious title of Car of the Year 2001. In 2003 the Arese factory was closed. The Arese factory today hosts almost nothing and is nearly abandoned. What remains are some offices and the great Alfa Romeo Historical Museum, a must-see for Alfa Romeo fans. In the 60s, the main Alfa Romeo seat was moved from inside Milan to a very large and nearby area extending over the municipalities of Arese, Lainate and Garbagnate Milanese. However, since then the Alfa seat is known to be in Arese, since the offices and the main entrance of the area are there. In the late 1960s, a number of European automobile manufacturers established facilities in South Africa to assemble right hand drive vehicles. Fiat and other Italian manufacturers established factories along with these other manufacturers, Alfa-Romeos were assembled in Brits, outside Pretoria in the Transvaal Province of South Africa. With the imposition of sanctions by western powers in the 1970s and 1980s, South Africa became self-sufficient, and in car production came to rely more and more on the products from local factories. This led to a remarkable set of circumstances where between 1972 and 1989, South Africa had the greatest number of Alfa Romeos on the road outside of Italy. Even stranger, Alfa Romeos Brits plant was used from March 1983 until 1985 to build Daihatsu Charades for local consumption, but also for export to Italy in order to skirt Italian limits on Japanese imports. In late 1985, with the impending Fiat takeover and an international boycott of the South African Apartheid government, Alfa Romeo withdrew from the market and closed the plant. Tons of valuable parts were then bulldozed into the ground to escape paying import duties.[citation needed]
Assembly plants by model Plant Owner Location Model(s)
Cassino Piedimonte S. Germano Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. Piedimonte San Germano Giulietta Stabilimento Mirafiori Modena Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. Turin Maserati S.p.A Modena MiTo 4C
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Automobiles
Current models
MiTo Giulietta 4C
Alfa Romeo MiTo The MiTo is a three-door sporty supermini officially introduced on 19 June 2008 in Castello Sforzesco in Milan, the international introduction was at British Motor Show in 2008. Alfa Romeo Giulietta The Giulietta is a five-door, small family car officially revealed at the Geneva Motor Show 2010. It replaced the 147. Alfa Romeo 4C The Alfa Romeo 4C is a small, lightweight rear wheel drive two seater Coup sports car, similar in size to the Alfa Romeo MiTo. The car was revealed as concept car at the 81st Geneva Motorshow in 2011. The production version was launched to the European market at the 83rd Geneva Motorshow in 2013 and will be launched to the American market at the Los Angeles Motorshow at the end of November 2013.
Future models
Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan and station wagon (Expected-2014) Alfa Romeo C-SUV (Expected-2014) Alfa Romeo Spider (new) (Expected-2015) Alfa Romeo 169 (Expected-2014)
Historic models
8C 2300 (1931)
Alfa Romeo
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GT Junior (1965)
Montreal (1970)
GTV6 (1980)
Spider (1992)
156 (1997)
8C Competizione (2008)
Racing cars 1911 15 HP Corsa 1913 40-60 HP Corsa 1914 Grand Prix
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1920 1921-1922 20-30 HP 1920-1921 G1 1921-1921 G2 1922-1927 RL 1923-1925 RM 1927-1929 6C 1500 1929-1933 6C 1750 1930 1931-1934 8C 2300 1933-1933 6C 1900 1934-1937 6C 2300 1935-1939 8C 2900 1939-1950 6C 2500 1922 RL Super Sport 1923 RL Targa Florio 1923 P1 1924 P2 1928 6C 1500 MMS 1929 6C 1750 Super Sport
1931 Tipo A 1931 8C 2300 Monza 1932 Tipo B (P3) 1935 Bimotore 1935 8C 35 1935 8C 2900A 1936 12C 36 1937 12C 37 1937 6C 2300B Mille Miglia 1937 8C 2900B Mille Miglia 1938 308 1938 312 1938 316 1938 158 1939 6C 2500 Super Sport Corsa 1948 6C 2500 Competizione 1951 159 1952 6C 3000 CM
1940 1950 1950-1958 1900 1951-1953 Matta 1954-1962 Giulietta 1958-1962 2000 1959-1964 Dauphine 1960 1962-1968 2600 1962-1976 Giulia Saloon 1963-1967 Giulia TZ 1963-1977 Giulia Sprint 1963-1966 Giulia Sprint Speciale 1965-1967 Gran Sport Quattroruote 1965-1971 GTA 1966-1993 Spider 1967-1969 33 Stradale 1967-1977 1750/2000 Berlina 1970 1970-1977 Montreal 1972-1983 Alfasud 1972-1984 Alfetta saloon 1974-1987 Alfetta GT/GTV 1976-1989 Alfasud Sprint 1977-1985 Nuova Giulietta 1979-1986 Alfa 6 1980 1983-1994 33 1984-1987 Arna 1984-1987 90 1985-1992 75 1987-1998 164 1989-1993 SZ/RZ
1960 Giulietta SZ 1963 Giulia TZ 1965 GTA 1965 Tipo 33 1968 33/2 1969 33/3
1972 33/4 1973 33TT12 1976 33SC12 1979 177 1979 179
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1990 1992-1998 155 1994-2000 145 1994-2000 146 1995-2006 GTV/Spider 1997-2005 156 1998-2007 166 2000 2000-2010 147 2007-2009 8C Competizione 2008-2010 8C Spider 2003-2010 GT 2005-2010 Brera 2005-2011 159 2006-2010 Spider 1993 155 V6 TI
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Mille (Alfa Romeo 1000) (19581964) Alfa Romeo A15 (Saviem license) Alfa Romeo A19 (Saviem license) Alfa Romeo A38 (Saviem license)
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Buses Alfa Romeo 40A. Alfa Romeo 80A Alfa Romeo 85A. Alfa Romeo 110A. Alfa Romeo 140A. Alfa Romeo 150A. Alfa Romeo 430A. Alfa Romeo 500A Alfa Romeo 800A. Alfa Romeo 900A. Alfa Romeo 902A. Alfa Romeo 950A. Alfa Romeo Mille (bus) (Alfa Romeo 1000) Trolleybuses Alfa Romeo 110AF (1938) Alfa Romeo 140AF (1949) Alfa Romeo 800AF Alfa Romeo 900AF Alfa Romeo Mille AF (Alfa Romeo 1000)
Alfa Romeo 1000 (Mille) Aerfer FI 711.2 OCREN trolleybus in Naples
Concepts
Design has always played a large role in the history of Alfa Romeo. There have been many Alfa Romeo concept cars, often made by famous design houses and designers. The BAT series of concepts from the 1950s was a collaboration with the Italian design house Bertone. Other famous Italian coachbuilders and design houses like Pininfarina, Bertone, Zagato and ItalDesign-Giugiaro have also played a great role in Alfa Romeo's history, and even today some of models are designed and constructed by them.
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Other production
Although Alfa Romeo is best known as automobile manufacturer it has also produced commercial vehicles of various size, railway locomotives, tractors, buses, trams, compressors, generators, an electric cooker,[5] marine and aircraft engines.
Aircraft engines
An Alfa engine was first used on an aircraft in 1910 on the Santoni-Franchini biplane. In 1932 Alfa Romeo built its first real aircraft engine, the D2 (240bhp), fitted to Caproni 101 D2. In the 1930s when Alfa Romeo engines were used for aircraft on a larger scale; the Savoia Marchetti SM.74, Savoia-Marchetti SM.75, Savoia-Marchetti SM.79, Savoia Marchetti SM.81 and Cant Z506B Airone all used Alfa Romeo manufactured engines. In 1931, a competition was arranged where Tazio Nuvolari drove his Alfa Romeo 8C 3000 Monza against a Caproni Ca.100 airplane. Alfa Romeo built various aircraft engines during the Second World War; the best known was the RA.1000 RC 41-I Monsone, a licensed version of the Daimler-Benz DB 601. This engine made it possible to build efficient fighter aircraft like the Macchi C.202 Folgore for the Italian army. After the Second World War Alfa Romeo produced engines for Fiat, Aerfer and D2 aircraft engine Ambrosini. In the 1960s Alfa Romeo mainly focused upgrading and maintaining Curtiss-Wright, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and General Electric aircraft engines. Alfa Romeo also built Italy's first turbine engine, installed to the Beechcraft King Air. Alfa Romeo's Avio division was sold to Aeritalia in 1988, from 1996 it was part of Fiat Avio. Alfa Avio was also part of developing team to the new T700-T6E1 engine to the NHI NH90 helicopter.
Alfa Romeo
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Alfa Romeo In the television crime film series Ein Fall fr Zwei ("a case for two", over 250 episodes made so far), the leading actor Claus Theo Grtner, who plays the role of the private detective Josef Matula, has always been driving Alfa Romeo, starting from Giulia Super to the latest Alfa Romeo models. Alfa Romeo had also a "role" in the Austrian detective series Kommissar Rex (Inspector Rex). At the beginning, Tobias Moretti drove a 155 and later Gedeon Burkhard drove a 166. In recent times, the BBC 2 Series 'Top Gear' has had quite an impact on the popular conception of the Alfa Romeo. Presenter Jeremy Clarkson insists that "nobody can call themselves a true petrolhead" until they have owned one. Literature In the first printing of Dan Brown's novel Angels & Demons, the members of the Swiss Guard all drive Alfa Romeo sedans (called 'Alpha Romeos' throughout the book). In the Ian Fleming novel Moonraker, James Bond becomes involved in an impromptu race with a young man driving an Alfa Romeo while he pursues Hugo Drax. This scene results in the death of the young man, the destruction of his car, and the eventual destruction of Bond's Bentley Mark IV.
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In 2002, Alfa Romeo I, the first Alfa Romeo super maxi yacht was launched. It finished first in at least 74 races including the 2002 SydneyHobart Race. Alfa Romeo II, commissioned in 2005, measures 30 metres (98ft) LOA. It set a new elapsed-time record for monohulls in the 2009 Transpac race, of 5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 20 seconds[6] It finished first in at least 140 races. In mid-2008 Alfa Romeo III was launched for competitive fleet racing under the IRC rule. Alfa Romeo III measures 21.4 metres (70ft) LOA and features interior design styled after the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.
Alfa Romeo
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References
[1] http:/ / www. alfaromeo. com [2] Fusi, Luigi, Le Alfa di Romeo e Merosi, Edizione Dimensione S, Milan, 1985 [3] How Alfa Romeo plans to triple sales in 3 years (http:/ / europe. autonews. com/ apps/ pbcs. dll/ article?AID=/ 20130409/ ANE/ 304099999/ how-alfa-romeo-plans-to-triple-sales-in-3-years#axzz2Pz4j3QrA) [4] "Saving Fiat", The Economist, 3 December 2005, p. 64, vol. 377. [5] (http:/ / forum. clubalfa. it/ attachment. php?attachmentid=39226& d=1254043793) (http:/ / img251. imageshack. us/ img251/ 8391/ 0580001. jpg) (http:/ / img801. imageshack. us/ img801/ 8242/ dsc00846u. jpg) Made after the WWII in about 500 examples (http:/ / www. alfabb. com/ bb/ forums/ attachments/ alfa-romeo-history/ 32112d1140897816-alfa-romeo-crosti-alfa-romeo-kitchen-stove-. jpg) [6] She came within about five hours of breaking the multihull elapsed time record 5d, 9h, 18m set in 1997 by Bruno Peyron with his Commodore Explorer.
Further reading
Borgeson, Griffith (1990). The Alfa Romeo Tradition. Haynes (Foulis) Publishing Group. Somerset, UK. ISBN 0-85429-875-4. Braden, Pat (1994). Alfa Romeo Owner's Bible Cambridge: Bentley Publishers. ISBN 0-8376-0707-8. Stefano d' Amico and Maurizio Tabuchi (2004). Alfa Romeo Production Cars. Giorgio NADA Editore. ISBN 88-7911-322-4. Hull and Slater (1982). Alfa Romeo: a History. Transport Bookman Publications. ISBN 0-85184-041-8. Venables, David (2000). First among Champions. Osceola: Motorbooks International. ISBN 1-85960-631-8. Owen, David. Great Marques, Alfa Romeo. London: Octopus Books, 1985. ISBN 0-7064-2219-8 Owen, David. Alfa Romeo: Always with Passion. Haynes Publications, 1999. ISBN 1-85960-628-8 Moore, Simon (1987). Immortal 2.9. Parkside Pubns. ISBN 978-0-9617266-0-7. Mcdonough, E., & Collins, P. (2005). Alfa Romeo Tipo 33. Veloce Publishing. ISBN 1-904788-71-8 Tipler, John. Alfa Romeo Spider, The complete history. Crowood Press (UK), 1998. ISBN 1-86126-122-5 Tipler, John. Alfa Romeo Giulia Coupe Gt & Gta. Veloce Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-903706-47-5
External links
Alfa Romeo International (http://www.alfaromeo.com/) Alfa Romeo Vodcast (Official Video Site) (http://vodcast.alfaromeo.it/) Alfa Romeo Press (http://www.alfaromeopress.com/index.php?lng=2) Alfa Romeo Official Art (http://www.alfaromeoart.com/) Alfa Romeo Official socialnetwall (http://www.socialnetwall.alfaromeo.com) Alfa Romeo (http://www.dmoz.org/Recreation/Autos/Makes_and_Models/Alfa_Romeo/) at the Open Directory Project
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License
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License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported //creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/